The night passed in the midst of a lively banquet.
The following morning...
"Next, we're going to split our forces into two groups."
Standing before the lighthouse, Kaito gathered all of his senior officers to discuss the next stage of their voyage.
His gaze swept across everyone before he continued.
"One group will accompany me to Alabasta."
"The other group will head to Water 7 to commission a new fleet of ships."
Looking toward several of his officers, he gave his assignments.
"Mangu, Lafayette, Sandy, and Zoro."
"The four of you will travel to Water 7."
"Any objections?"
"None."
"Don't worry, Captain."
"We'll make sure the ship order is completed."
"No problem!"
"..."
Mangu, Lafayette, Sandy, and Zoro all nodded without hesitation.
None of them objected to Kaito's decision.
"Good."
Kaito nodded in satisfaction.
"I'll leave the matter of the new ships to you."
"Just remember to stay cautious during the journey."
"If you encounter anything you can't handle, contact me immediately."
Whether it was to further strengthen the War Pirates' firepower...
Or simply to survive the far harsher environment of the Grand Line...
Upgrading the fleet had become a necessity.
Fortunately, money wasn't an issue.
Between the treasures they had plundered throughout the West Blue and the enormous fortune recovered from the Treasure Jade Ice Continent, Kaito possessed more than enough wealth to replace every ship in the fleet with something far superior.
There was no reason to delay.
Once the arrangements had been finalized, Mangu and Lafayette wasted no time.
Taking two thousand crew members and five ships with them, they departed from Reverse Mountain almost immediately.
Unlike sailing across the Four Blues, navigation within the Grand Line couldn't rely on an ordinary compass.
Ships had to use either Eternal Poses or Log Poses to navigate safely.
Fortunately, Kaito had already anticipated this.
Because commissioning new ships at Water 7 had always been part of his long-term plans, he had already purchased an Eternal Pose pointing directly to Water 7.
As the world's greatest shipbuilding city, Eternal Poses leading there were surprisingly common—even in the Four Blues.
Acquiring one beforehand hadn't been difficult.
"Captain..."
After watching Mangu and the others disappear over the horizon, Nami approached him.
"As for us..."
"Are we heading for Alabasta now?"
Now serving as one of the youngest navigators on the crew, Nami asked the question with visible seriousness.
Kaito looked at her before nodding.
"Yes."
"We leave immediately."
"Understood!"
"I'll make the preparations right away!"
Receiving confirmation, Nami hurried back aboard the flagship and immediately began organizing the navigator team.
An Eternal Pose pointing toward Alabasta had already been prepared as well.
Having only recently entered the Grand Line, Nami still felt somewhat uneasy about navigating these dangerous seas.
Naturally, she didn't dare be careless.
Before long, Kaito led the remaining twenty ships away from Reverse Mountain.
The fleet officially began sailing toward the Kingdom of Alabasta.
"Captain..."
Standing beside him on the deck of the flagship, Robin looked out over the endless sea.
"I've read about Alabasta before."
"It's one of the world's great kingdoms."
"And it's also famous for its vast deserts."
She paused before looking toward Kaito.
"What made you decide to go there?"
"Is there something special in that country?"
"There is."
Kaito continued gazing toward the horizon.
"I need to verify something there."
"If my guess is correct..."
"I'll have the opportunity to obtain a Devil Fruit ability I've wanted for a long time."
"A Devil Fruit?"
Robin looked genuinely surprised.
Kaito smiled.
"That's right."
"Watching all of you become Devil Fruit users..."
"Even your captain gets a little jealous sometimes."
Robin couldn't help smiling.
"What kind of Devil Fruit is it?"
"Can you tell me?"
Kaito waved his hand.
"There's no point talking about it yet."
"If my theory turns out to be wrong..."
"It'll just be wishful thinking."
Robin blinked.
"So mysterious?"
"Then... what exactly are you trying to verify?"
"It's about the rebirth of Devil Fruits."
"...What?!"
Robin's eyes widened in shock.
The Grand Line was far more dangerous than any of the Four Blues.
Its dangers extended well beyond pirates alone.
The weather...
The sea...
Both were equally terrifying.
Not long after leaving Reverse Mountain, Kaito and the War Pirates quickly experienced firsthand just how unpredictable the Grand Line truly was.
One moment...
The sky was clear and warm like midsummer.
The next...
The temperature plummeted as though winter had arrived overnight.
One moment...
The ocean remained perfectly calm.
The next...
Violent storms erupted without warning.
Nor was the sea itself peaceful.
Unlike the Four Blues, where sea beasts were relatively uncommon...
The Grand Line seemed filled with them.
Ferocious sea beasts appeared constantly.
Even Sea Kings stretching well over three hundred feet in length surfaced from time to time.
Facing both the ever-changing weather and the relentless attacks of Sea Kings...
Even with Kaito personally overseeing the fleet...
The War Pirates found themselves scrambling during the first few days.
Fortunately...
Every member of the crew had been carefully trained by Kaito.
Not only were they among the strongest pirates of the Four Blues...
Their mental resilience was equally impressive.
After gradually becoming familiar with the Grand Line's conditions...
The crew adapted remarkably quickly.
Before long, the fleet settled into a stable rhythm.
Once Kaito confirmed that the crew no longer needed his constant supervision...
He returned to his own training.
Constitution: 1.6 → 1.7
Combat: 1.3 → 1.5
Weapons: 1.8 → 2.0
Armament Haki: 1.4 → 1.5
Observation Haki: 1.5 → 1.6
Conqueror's Haki: 1.1 → 1.2
Even within the dangerous waters of the Grand Line—where Sea Kings appeared almost daily—
Kaito had no intention of interrupting the relentless training that had become second nature.
Aboard one of the specially designated training ships...
He wrapped heavy iron chains around his body before diving into the sea to continue towing the vessel through the water.
While training, he also took the opportunity to examine the changes in his talent panel.
His relentless training...
Along with one life-and-death battle after another...
Had produced unmistakable results.
Since the last time he checked his status...
Nearly every talent had improved.
His Constitution, Armament Haki, Observation Haki, and Conqueror's Haki had all advanced.
Most notably...
Both his Combat and Weapons talents had broken through their limits twice.
Developing the Dragon-Subduing Leg...
Combined with his duel against Koshiro...
Had pushed both talents to new heights.
A talent can only break through its limit after reaching that limit.
A growing number of breakthroughs means I've finally moved beyond the beginner stage...
From here on... I'll be entering a period of true growth.
A faint smile appeared on Kaito's face.
His talents had never started at extraordinary levels.
Given that...
Repeatedly reaching their limits and breaking through them over the course of his journey was only natural.
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